Surely this isn't right?

[Ben78]

Just about to bottle, noticed this on top of the brew



First time i have ever racked. Was I not clean enough? Or is it just some weird by product of secondary fermentation or witchery?

Still ok to bottle?

[Ben78]

Just taste tested, certainly tastes fine (actually, if it were cold I'd knock a couple back...)

[Kevnlis]

If it tastes fine there is nothing to worry about then...

Just make sure you give that fermentor and tap a good scrub and soak!

[rwh]

That's a white skin infection, which if I remember rightly is caused by acetobacter. As far as I know, the acetobacter requires oxygen to convert alcohol into acetic acid, which is why it forms a skin on the top of the beer. You have a chance to save it, by racking it out from below, trying not to suck any of the skin through. Then bottle. If it tastes good, then it is good. It's not possible for anything health-threatening to survive the brewing process. But if you start to see a ring around the top of the bottle where the surface of beer meets the neck, then you'd better drink it fast! The only way the flavour will go in that situation is in the direction of thin and bitter.

Next time, try squirting the inside of the tap with a good no-rinse sanitiser before racking, and add a little sugar to secondary (I normally use a tablespoon of dex boiled up in a cup of water) to ensure that the headspace of the secondary vessel is properly purged of air. An alternative to adding sugar to secondary (which may slow the conditioning phase of the yeast) is to rack a little early, before primary is quite complete. Yet another alternative is to not rack for secondary at all. If you have good temperature control you can get away with up to three weeks of primary, and skip secondary all together.

[Kevnlis]

I will just add that acetic acid sounds bad, but really it is just vinegar. I would describe it's taste more like green olives than straight vinegar.

[Chris]

A good squirt of CO2 into your fermenter also does wonders if/when you start kegging.

[Trough Lolly]

... +1 vote for acetobacter. Keg / bottle and drink now. Clean the fermenter and tap well...

or, leave it for a few weeks and call it a Flanders ale!!

Cheers,
TL

[Chris]

or, leave it for a few weeks and call it a Flanders ale!!

Done that before on a brown that got visitors. Wasn't a bad beer either.

[Boonie]

Had that before too.

Rack into another and leave the white stuff behind.

Then you can bottle or bulk prime when racking, whatever suits you. I made a "Heineiken" clone many moons ago and this happened and it did not hurt it at all. Did not taste like Heiny, but that doesn't matter too much IMO

When I have had acetobactor, after bottling beer I fill my fermenter with very hot water, not boiling and add Napisan. Leave for 24 hours scrrub with soft sponge, empty and rinse well. Leave upside down for a day and sterilise again before use.

Cheers

Boonie

[Kevnlis]

...after bottling beer I fill my fermenter with very hot water, not boiling and add Napisan. Leave for 24 hours scrrub with soft sponge, empty and rinse well. Leave upside down for a day and sterilise again before use.

Same... except I sanitise with a no-rinse spray like Iodophor or Isoprpyl immediately before use.

If there was no infection it is the same routine except I do not leave it to soak, just a couple litres of hot tap water and a Chux wipe which goes to the kitchen when I am finished, the one from the kitchen goes to laundry and the one in the laundry goes in the bin

[Prawned]

If there was no infection it is the same routine except I do not leave it to soak, just a couple litres of hot tap water and a Chux wipe which goes to the kitchen when I am finished, the one from the kitchen goes to laundry and the one in the laundry goes in the bin

I like that idea! Usually i just buy a roll of 50 and use one to clean the fermenter then bin it..

[Kevnlis]

I used to do the same prawned, but I now try to recycle whatever I can in the brewery. I know I am already saving the environment just by making my own, but I can feel even better about the fact that I took a few extra steps to reduce my impact.

[Chris]

Just don't start drinking Cascade 'green'

[Kevnlis]

I would rather drink the top of that wort there... ok maybe not... but you get the point...